Nina Jones, (DOB: 4/1/1988), of Radcliffe, in Manchester, was sentenced at Wigan Magistrates' Court on Thursday 14 December for animal welfare offences. This followed concerns being reported to the RSPCA animal hospital in Weaste about a dog abandoned at the property. Animal rescue officer (ARO) Lee Farrons attended in November last year after being alerted that a neighbour had found a very skinny dog inside the house. He said: "The neighbour opened the back door because it was unlocked and found a very skinny, abandoned dog in the house. The dog, called Ronnie, was very thin and not in a good condition. "He was a black male staffie type dog who was visibly shaking. He had a large growth on the bottom left of his mouth and some discharge around his eyes and I could see his ribs and spine without having to get close. The neighbour told me she went into the house as she was concerned that the animals had been abandoned. She showed me a video and some photos of the inside of the house when she entered and the house looked very messy with lots of faeces and litter on the floor. "I decided Ronnie needed to see a vet immediately. He couldn't go to the toilet despite seemingly trying and he was unsteady on his feet with shaking legs. He appeared very weak so I transferred him to RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital." Sadly, a vet examination revealed that as well as being skinny, Ronnie also had a large tumour on his kidney which resulted in difficulty urinating and pain - and was likely cancerous. Both the council and the RSPCA made numerous attempts to contact Jones about Ronnie's condition and finally spoke to her on 23 November when she admitted she knew the dog needed to be put to sleep. Despite treatment, Ronnie did not improve and he was therefore put to sleep to end his suffering. The court heard how the vet report stated that Ronnie would have been suffering for at least three or four weeks and potentially longer. He would have suffered pain within his urinary tract, was lethargic from chronic illness and weight loss, had soreness and discomfort from his eye condition and a pain in his mouth when eating. Chief inspector Nina Small added: "This was a very sad case which resulted in poor Ronnie suffering for around three weeks before being rescued. He was so poorly that a vet decided the kindest thing to do would be to put him to sleep which was heartbreaking." Jones was banned from keeping all animals for five years. She was also sentenced to a 12 month community order, 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and 60 days of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £400 in costs, and a £114 victim surcharge.
